Everything rosy in the garden

Dyslexia meant Karen Scott ''struggled'' at school, but
the horticulture graduate has now mastered some Latin as part
of the theory component of her intensive three-year
apprenticeship.

The 22-year-old graduated this week with fellow apprentices
Joseph Tapuni (25), Andrew Anderson (22) and Pippa Lucas
(22), having completed the amenity horticulture
apprenticeship at Dunedin Botanic Garden. Ms Scott,
originally from Christchurch, has secured a job. She starts
on Monday as a gardener and mowing lawns for the Ashburton
District Council.

She found theory the toughest part of the course, in
particular learning Latin to identify plant types. The most
enjoyable part, she said, was making a contribution to
maintaining the garden's high standard of presentation for
the public.

Ms Scott and Mr Tapuni entered the apprenticeship via the
Malcam Charitable Trust, through which they worked for a year
at the garden before starting the three-year apprenticeship.

For Mr Tapuni, the course had been life-changing. He left
school with limited reading and writing skills, which had
improved greatly. The most challenging aspect was balancing
the workload with becoming a father for the first time, he
said.